Improved car-brake



tater a he @ffwa s gaunt Vie teeth of the pinions, this position being obtained by the train to a stand, at which time the combined action JOSEPH COCKSHOOT, JR, AND HENRY WEATHERILL, OF MAN- CHESTER, GREA BRITAIN. Letters PctentNO. 83,042, dated October 13, 1868; antcd tcd October 10, 1868.

mnovnn CAR-BRAKE.-

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and. making pan: of the same.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that we, Josnrn Ooo sHoo'r, J r., and Emmy WEATHERILL, both of Manchester, county of Lancaster, Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, have invented certain Improvements in Railway-Car Brakes; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the' same.

Our invention is designed for the purpose of preventing or stopping the revolution of the wheels of railway-cars by the power and speed of the train, so as to break or stop the revolution of the car-wheels by self-acting means, when it is desired to retard or stop the tram; and the improvements consist in the novel employment and use of a plate or barof metal running longitudinally the length of each car, the said plates being supported by means of brackets secured to the axles, and in which they are allowed to slide. The extremities of each plate or bar terminate in a disk or buffer, which is caused to project a little beyond the ends of the carriage to'which such plate belongs. Y

The under sides of these longitudinal plates or bars are provided with rack-teeth ona-a portion of their under sufrace, the remaining lengths or surface being left plain. The axles of the wheels are each provided -with a pinion, to which flanges with frictional surfaces are attached, and which are allowed freely to revolve with the axle, so long as the longitudinal plates or bars are in their. normal position, that is, when'the flat or plain surfaces of the longitudinal plates are over the means of strong w or helical springs, wi'th which the plates are in conta t. v I

When the train coupled up, the disks formingthe terminations of each longitudinal plate or bar are within a short distance of actual contact with the disks belonging to the longitudiiial plate of the next car; thus forming, with the exception of such slight opening places between the car, a continuous lengthof plate orbar. throughout the whole train.

In the guards van a handle is provided, in'connection with a lever, that will enable the guard or brakesman togive a slight. forward movement to the longitudinal rack or friction-plate of thelast car, which brings it into gear with the revolving wheel on the axle, which is immediately, by the power and speed of the train, forced forward, so as to come into contact with'the next plate-rack, and so on, progressively until the whole longitudinal bars are run up, the efi'ect of which is gradually to compress the spiings, so as to bring the whole length of bars throughout the train into stationary contact with each other, preventing, thereby, the revolution of the car-wheels, which soon brings of the compressed springs, bothin connection with the ongitudinal plate-racks and the car-buflers, gives each car, from back to front, a slight retrograde or backward movement, thus freeing thelracks from the pinions, and placing them in their normal position, which leaves the car-wheels free to revolve. By the employment of sliding racks, in connection with blocks that Willfit the periphery of the car-wheels, .the pinion may be em- .ployed for the purpose of forcing such blocks against thewheels, so as to retard and stop them in the ordinary manner.

In order to enable others slnlled in the art to make and use our invention, we willnow proceed to describe its construction and operation, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 represents a longitudinal frame-work of the lower portion of a railway-car, having the body and front wheels removed, in order more clearly to illustrate the working-parts of the improved brake rack Figure 2 represents a plan view' of the same, in which are seen the position and arrangement of the retarding-springs, in connection with the longitudinal plate-rack;

1 Figure 3 represents a transverse section of the lower portion of the car, containing the mechanism of the brake; and

Figure 4preprescnts an enlarged detached view of the axle-pinion, and a portion of the longitudinal rack in its sliding supports or bearings.

In figs. 1, 2, 3, am is the body or fi'ame-work'of the car 0, the wheels, and "(l the axles, all being old and well-known parts of a railway-car. b t is a, plate of metal, running longitudinally the length of each: car, supported in the brackets or bearings c e, secured to the axlec. These longitudinal plates b]; are supported in the groovesof the bearings e e, in which they are allowed freely to slide, the bearings being bolted together by means of -tie-rods fiso as to keep them square, or they may be .connected by arms with,

a vertical slide, provided in the bearings ofthe axle boxes. The extremities of each longitudinal 'plae terminate in a bu'fl'er or flat plate, 9 g, the outer sur faces ofwhich may be covered with a yielding or elastic sm'face. These buffer-terminations are caused to project-a little beyond the ends of the car to which such plate belongs. The under sides of the longitu plates 2') b are provided with rack-teetmd', on a portion of their under surface, as seen in figs. l and 4, (the class of cog or tooth we prefer being shown more clearly in fig. 4, the remaining portion or under surface being left plain.) The axles d d are each provided with a pinion, k, to which flanges, k, with fricfional smfaces, are attached, and which are keyed to and revolve with the axles (Z d, so long as the rack-plates b b are in their normal-position, as shown, thatis, when the flat or plain surfaces of the rack-plates are over forming, with the exception'of such opening places between the car, a continuous length of plate throughout the whole train.

Having now described the nature of our said invention, together with the method of carrying the same into practical eifect, we wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details shown,

as they may be varied or modified, without departing from. the peculiar character thereof; but

What we claim as and of our invention, is

The combination of the longitudinal bar or plate I), and its racks, the pinions on the axles, and the springs m m, the whole being arranged and applied to a railwayganhsubstantially as and for the purpose herein set ort In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands in the presence'of two subscribing witnesses, this 1st day of February, in the year of our Lord 1868.

JOSEPH OOGKSHOOT, JR. HENRY WEATHERILL.

Witnesses:

SAML Dnmuson, J. SWARTMAN. 

